Not long after leaving all that he knew, Abraham ran into trouble. The Lord had told him to leave the land of his fathers and come to a land he did not know, but he found the land filled with Canaanites and there was a famine in the land.
Soon, he had to leave the land God told him go to and travel to Egypt. This is the second test of Abraham’s faith. The first was to get up and go to this land he did not know.
Have you ever been tested in your faith? Like most who choose to follow the Lord, the test of faith comes soon after coming to faith in Jesus Christ. The test is whether or not you really trust God.
Without such tests we would not gain strength and our faith would fail us. Just as a child learning to walk, we must understand that falls will happen and that we must learn to pick ourselves up and keep gaining strength.
Just as Abraham continued in his faith by not giving into despair and resentment, we too must hold onto faith and hope despite the circumstances, this is called perseverance.
Romans 5:3-5 says, “We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out.”
The difference between people of faith and those without it is hope. Faith is not a quick fix or a short cut to better times but we know when we are faithful to the Lord, He is faithful to us and the reward is worth the perseverance.
